The Princess and the Dragon
by SSAEmilyHotchner
Summary: Oneshot. Set in my Fade To Black universe. Emily follows through on her promise to bring Avery to her parents' house for storytime with Richard. Meanwhile, Emily is having a bad wig day. Takes place after Chapter 11 of FTB. May contain spoilers.


**Author's Note: ****I desperately needed something fluffy and innocent and generally sweet, so I hope this oneshot fits that bill well enough. (I tried, I really did!) Avery's character made it easier, of course. She's such a joy to write. Also, I personally think you could read into the title to see something more than a simple fairytale...but that's just me. ;) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Happy New Year, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

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><p>"Where's my little princess?"<p>

Avery squealed as she leaped into Richard Prentiss's arms. "Grandpa!"

"There she is!" Richard gave a hearty laugh as he swung Avery in circles. "How are you, pumpkin?"

"Good," she giggled, as she was lowered to her feet again.

"How about your mommy? How is she?"

"Getting better every day," Emily said, coming in through the front door and greeting her father with a kiss to his stubbly cheek. "Though I'm kind of hurt, Daddy; I thought _I _was your princess," she winked, smiling as Richard huffed.

"You can't_ both_ be my princesses?" he asked pointedly, a smile of his own touching his lips.

"We can," Avery allowed, but what would that make Daddy?"

Emily smirked as Hotch and Richard shook hands. "That would make Daddy grandpa's favorite son-in-law," she answered, her arm curving around Hotch's middle and holding him close.

"Something like that," Richard said, sporting an amused expression similar to the one on Hotch's face. "So, Avery, your mom tells me you like having stories read to you."

Avery nodded enthusiastically. "My mommy and daddy read to me every night, and Mommy told me that you used to read to her when she was little, and that you're really good at it because you make funny voices for each of the characters," she recounted at a lightning-fast speed.

"Well, if your mom says it, then it must be true," Richard said, smiling warmly. "Why don't we go to the den?" he ushered. "It's nicer there."

Doing just that, Emily looked around the house. "Where's Mom?"

"Oh, she just went out to run some errands. She should be back soon," Richard dismissed. "Speaking of which, where's Jack?"

"He's still in school," Avery said smugly. "I don't have class today but Jack does 'cause he's older than me."

"It was the perfect chance to come here," Emily said, smiling in return.

"Perfect," Richard agreed. And then, he clapped his hands together. "Well, Avery…what story would you like to hear today?"  
>"Something about a <em>princess<em>," Avery immediately said.

Leaning over to kiss Avery's crown, Emily lowered her voice to speak to her father. "Daddy, I hope you don't mind…_would you_ mind terribly if Aaron and I go to another room and just…sit down and relax? We've both been on our feet for the whole day and just –"

" – you're in the mood to do nothing but watch TV," Richard said knowingly, another smile touching the corners of his mouth. "Go ahead. We just got new couches in our second living room, the one adjacent to the dining room; enjoy them."

"Thank you," she breathed gratefully. Then, to Avery: "Have fun, sweetheart." And at that, with Hotch's hand still in hers, they wandered away.

~.~.~

"Alright, pumpkin. Something about a princess?" Richard wondered aloud, pulling Avery onto his lap. "How about _Snow White? _You like her, don't you? I think your mom told me you were her for Halloween one year."

Avery nodded, then shrugged. "I was. But I already know what happens in _Snow White_," she mused.

"I see," Richard said slowly. "Well, how about this? How about I write my own story?"

Avery's doe eyes widened in excitement. "Just for me?"

"Just for you," he repeated, smiling.

"Okay!"

"Hmmm…alright," Richard said, nodding as he quickly thought up an idea for a fairytale. "Once upon a time, there was a princess named…Emery."

"Emery? That's like a mix of my name and my mommy's name!"

Richard grinned down at the observant little girl. "Well, what do you know? It sure is."

"I bet she's pretty," Avery sighed dreamily.

"Oh, she sure is. In fact, she was the most beautiful princess of all. She had long, dark hair – like yours –, pretty brown eyes, the sweetest smile, and skin like porcelain."

"Grandpa? What's porcelain?"

Richard paused. "You know how some dinner plates are really pretty and heavy, and they feel kind of glazed?" he eventually said. "Those are made of porcelain."

"So the princess has skin like pretty plates?"

"No, no," he laughed warmly. "Her skin is pale, like the color of the plates."

"Oh! Like _my_ skin!" Avery finally understood.

"Exactly. Like yours," Richard nodded. "Anyway, this princess – Emery, her name was – liked going on adventures. One day, she was walking to the top of a mountain…when suddenly, the mountain began to move!" Avery gasped. "She held on really tightly to the rocks, but then, she realized they weren't rocks at all!"

Avery's was listening with rapt attention now. "They weren't? What were they?"

"Scales," Richard revealed, lowering the pitch and volume of his voice playfully. "It was then that Emery realized she wasn't standing on a mountain at all, but a humongous dragon!"

Avery's jaw actually dropped. "A _dragon?"_ she echoed incredulously. "What happens next, grandpa?"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and impatience; she was just like Emily had been when she was younger. "Well, pumpkin, let me tell you."

~.~.~

Emily bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed as yet another hair commercial came on the channel they had been trying to watch. John Frieda, Pantene, or Herbal Essences? She really couldn't give a damn. She was reaching for the remote control on the coffee table in front of her when Hotch seemed to read her mind and smartly turned off the television.

He pulled her closer, her head coming to rest against his chest. "Stop biting your lip, sweetheart," he chided gently, reaching with his thumb to soothe the chapped skin there.

Her eyes fell shut at his touch. "I know, I know," she murmured, her father's rumbling voice drifting in from the nearby room providing the perfect background noise. Glancing back at him, she immediately said, "To answer the question I know you're about to ask, yes, I am okay."

Hotch rested his lips to the nape of her neck. "You sure?" He paused at her silence. "You want to talk about it?"

Emily gave the idea some thought before relenting with a sigh. "It shouldn't bother me as much as before…and it _doesn't_," she added truthfully. Nonetheless, she unconsciously fussed with her wig, shifting it the smallest fraction of an inch to the left. Then to the right. Then to the left again.

Without asking, Hotch knew exactly what she was referring to.

Alopecia. Hair loss.

"But there are still days where I feel like I'm being connived against by all the TV stations, you know?" Emily continued rambling, and he didn't stop her; he only stilled her hand from further fidgeting with the wig. He knew she needed an outlet somehow, and he was more than willing to listen and validate her emotions. It was really the least he could do.

"Like, all of a sudden, commercials about hair products and hair dyes and curling irons or hair straighteners seem to proliferate." Emily buried her face in his chest and kissed it idly. "They aren't, I know. But the one thing that bothers me is that I now realize just how obsessed with physically appearances our society is. And of course, the media and industries only promote it. It's _annoying. _It makes me sick to my stomach," she said. She eventually pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"

Hotch smiled and kissed her nose. "Just a little. But you have the right to be just as silly as you want to. I get where you're coming from, Em," he assured. "I can't physically make things better…but just think of it this way. The fact that your chemotherapy was able to attack your hair follicles means it's no doubt attacking your cancer cells as well. You're…shedding the old and starting on a new page – like the genesis of a new life. _You're getting better_, just like you told your father when we walked through the door. Keep that in mind," he soothed.

Emily nodded slowly, her eyes glazing over for a split second at the knowledge that her chemotherapy sessions were almost over. "I know. And I do, I think about it every day. It's just…I prefer to keep my cancer as a private matter, you know? The fewer people who know about it, the better. But I have days where I feel like people look at me and instantly know that my hair is fake." At that, she brought a hand up to her wig to finger the synthetic strands. "Like today. It's like a dead giveaway to me; like I'm holding a flashing, neon sign that reads, 'Hey, everyone, look at me! I've got cancer and I have no hair!'"

Hotch frowned as her voice broke on the last word. "Hey…look at me, Emily." When she refused to, he gently tilted her head back until she was gazing at him, upside down. "Nobody can tell."

"You're sure?" she asked tinily, her voice soft.

"One hundred percent," he nodded. "I even have days when I look at you and have to do a double take because I think your hair grew back; it looks normal, sweetheart. It looks _real_. Your hairdresser did an amazing job."

Emily eventually relaxed the tension in her shoulders. "She did," she agreed. "For that, I'm grateful."

Hotch smiled against the back of her head. "And you know what?"

"Hmmm?"

"I know you think you're having a bad wig day," he murmured, "but you look exceptionally beautiful today," he said sweetly, leaning forward to give her a kiss; albeit an upside down one.

Emily couldn't help it; she smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss, before pulling away only slightly to whisper, "What would I do without you?"

Hotch chuckled. "I ask myself that every day."

And then, later, when they turned the TV back on, and yet another hair commercial was playing, they didn't change it.

They let it play.

~.~.~

"…and then, the dragon got to its feet and flew away, far, far into the sky. The princess, of course, was still holding onto its scales, but she was getting more and more worried as the dragon picked up speed. All she wanted was to be back at her castle; with her mom and dad, and her pet bird."

Avery giggled. "Emery has a pet bird?"

Richard cracked his hundredth smile of the day. "You bet she does. She has a pretty little canary who sings to her every morning."

"What's its name?"

He fell silent, thinking that one over. "How about…Aberforth?"

Avery's giggles only increased in volume. "Aberforth?" She wrinkled her nose. "That's a weird name for a bird."

"You think so?" Richard laughed. "Then maybe Elmer, instead?"

"I thought you said _Elmo_," she squealed, her peals of bright laughter filling the house. "You pick silly names, grandpa."

"Maybe she named the bird Elmo," he countered, playfully shrugging. "You never know." He paused. "Or Boyd. Boyd's a good name for a bird."

"Hmmm…I think the bird's name should be Dorothy."

"Dorothy?" Richard raised an eyebrow. "Now, where'd you get the name Dorothy from, pumpkin?"

"Elmo has a pet goldfish named Dorothy," she explained, trying for a serious face but failing and erupting in the giggles again.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, upon hearing Avery's joyous laughter, Emily got up from the couch she was laying on with Hotch and walked over to the doorway of the den, a smile on her face as she watched her father and daughter interact.

Richard grinned. "Dorothy it is, then."

Avery let out a victorious cheer. "Now what happens?"

"Well, Emery is still on the dragon's back, and the dragon is really mean and wants to scare the princess, so he decides to fly over the nearest ocean because he knows that Emery is scared of water."

"She can't swim?"

Richard shook his head grimly. "No. So when the dragon flew over the ocean, it began descending and coming closer and closer to the water, all because it wanted the princess off his back. Emery only held on tighter, however, and as she clutched the dragon's scales for dear life, she shut her eyes and sent up a wish that she would make it home safely."

"Does she?"

Richard chuckled. "Patience, pumpkin. _All of a sudden_, as Emery opened her eyes and looked around, she saw a figure flying towards her and the dragon. As the figure came closer, the princess was able to see that it was a handsome young man riding on a pegasus, coming to save her!"

"Her Prince Charming!" Avery exclaimed, starry-eyed.

"Yes, her Prince Charming," Richard agreed, nodding. "Now, right as the dragon was about to move so that Emery would fall into the water, the prince and his pegasus got close enough to her that he was able to pull her off the dragon's back and onto the back of the pegasus with him. Together, they rode to safety. He brought her to her castle and her parents – the king and queen – were so happy to see her."

Avery could hardly contain herself. "Did they get married in the end? They have to get married!"

Richard laughed aloud. "Yes, after Emery was safe, she thanked her prince with a kiss. They magically fell in love, and with her parents' permission, they got married in the palace's ballroom. And together, they lived –"

"Happily ever after!" Avery threw her arms around her grandfather's middle. "That was _such_ a good story," she moaned into his shoulder. "Mommy was right! You're the best storyteller ever!"

Richard grinned from ear to ear. "I'm glad to hear it. _And_ I'm even more glad you enjoyed the story."

Avery nodded, hopping up and down. "I did! You should tell me another one," she said eagerly, her eyes wide with hope.

"Maybe later, alright? I need time to think up another storyline," he said, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

"Okay." Avery sighed. "I'm so glad I didn't have school today because I really like being at home with my mommy and daddy. And you, grandpa. You're the _best._ Oh, and grandma, too. And my other grandma."

"Well, we love your company," Richard said warmly. "And I know for a fact your mommy loves you more than anything in the world."

"I love her lots, too," Avery said, rolling over to her side and stretching her whole body over the length of the couch, her feet resting on her grandfather's lap. A second of silence lapsed before she spoke again. "Grandpa?"

"Yes, pumpkin?"

"My mommy's going to be okay, right?"

Richard felt his heart skip a beat. "Of course your mommy's going to be okay. She has _you_, butter bean."

Avery giggled quietly. "Butter bean is a cute nickname."

"You think so? You like it better than pumpkin?"

"I like both," she said indecisively. "But you're one hundred percent sure my mommy's going to be okay?" she asked again. "She has to take a lot of medicine, and sometimes her medicine makes her tummy feel kind of bad."

Richard's demeanor sobered a bit, still unaware of Emily's presence in the doorway. "I can't make any promises, but I know for a fact – I'm _one hundred percent sure_ – that with the help of you and your daddy, your mommy is going to be just fine. Because she loves you both, and sometimes, what somebody really needs is to be surrounded by the people who mean the most to them, and who make them happy. In your mommy's case, that's you. And your brother and your daddy."

"And you and Mom," Emily finally said, revealing herself to the gazes of Richard and Avery. Pulling Avery into a bear hug, she smiled against the girl's cheek. "As long as you're here beside me, and as long as you make sure to shower me in kisses and hugs every single day, I'll be completely fine, sweetheart. One hundred percent."

At that, Avery pressed a sloppy kiss to her mother's cheek. "Good."

**THE END.**

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><p><em>"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed." <em>- G.K. Chesterton

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><p><strong><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Like it? Love it? Please leave a review; short or long, signed or anonymous, they always make my day. :) Thanks in advance! And have a wonderful, prosperous New Year.<strong>****


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